What is the Cloud and How Does it Work?
I’ve heard about the cloud for a long time but I’ve never really looked into it. As such, the cloud always seems so familiar but still so very strange (like LinkedIn connections).
I automatically thought of the cloud as a way for companies and business to outsource the maintenance of servers but I never knew for sure.
I never really thought about paying close attention to the cloud because I thought it didn’t really matter at all...to me. But it does. It really does matter to me, to you, and others.
But why?
The cloud is everywhere.
You don’t see it but it’s there. You and I quite likely interact with it on a regular basis.
iCloud, Netflix, Airtable, Google Drive, AWS , Azure, Google Cloud Services, Stadia, Office365, Salesforce.com, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, Github, Wordpress, Slack, Box, Intuit Software and several other products are cloud based. The cloud is eating everything from photo storage to file sharing and other aspects of your day to day life.
If you use a Google Chrome book, you’re a cloud native, everything is stored in the cloud!
Indeed, the cloud is a big deal now and is expected to continue to be a bigger deal into the future.
But what exactly is the cloud?
Let’s find out.
The Cloud
According to Microsoft, the cloud is a term “used to describe a global network of servers, each with a unique function”. It’s called the cloud because it isn’t a specific hardware or software, it is sort of omniscient, it’s everywhere.
The cloud is a sea of servers connected to each other that act as one large aligned and holistic system.
The cloud or these network servers may perform a variety of functions ranging from storing and managing data to running applications. These server hives may house textual content, videos, images, and other forms of content.
We can think of cloud computing as a way to deploy software, applications, and data through a string of connected servers through the internet.
Cloud based services include Software as a service (SaaS), Platform as a service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Different Types of Clouds
Each business may tap into a variety of clouds from private to public clouds. You and I interact with a public cloud when we use these many different services. Private clouds are those that are for internal purposes only. Hybrid clouds interface with private and public clouds.
Cloud Service Providers
Clouds didn’t self organize. Teams of people were involved in creating cloud infrastructure to support different applications.
Key competitors or cloud providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
How does the Cloud Work?
First, let’s be clear, the cloud is not on your personal device it’s elsewhere.
You access the cloud application because the supplier uses cloud infrastructure to simplify your experience. The relationship is between you, the product supplier (brand), and the cloud infrastructure provider (AWS, GCP, Azure).
As seen above, the cloud allows consumers to tap into products and services through the internet. This is transformative as it allows them to use products and services on the go from any device wherever they are.
The consumer is not tied to one device but can hop on to Salesforce of Office365 by going through a Web browser and log in.
That’s pretty cool, it allows for more mobility, flexibility, and collaboration.
Cloud based applications may enable simple devices for productivity.
There’s no need for highly complex, large computing devices. Produce faster and more effectively by tapping into the cloud. Productivity costs go down and more types of business can take place and thrive.
“Invention requires two things: 1. The ability to to try a lot of experiments, and 2. Not having to live with the collateral damage of failed experiments.”
-Andy Jassey, AWS CEO
The Cloud Seems Awesome but is it all that.. and more?
While the cloud gives it can also take away.
No Internet? No Cloud
One large downfall of the cloud, as noted by Recode is that you may not be able to have fun or get work done if you don’t have access to the Internet.
Cloud Server Problems? No Service
The second point Recode makes is that server side problems may also cause a delay in productivity and fun (ex: Instagram is down). Although, these systems are designed for redundancy and mere seconds of downtime per year.
Is the Cloud a Safe Space?
The cloud seems like a comfortable place but is it always safe? I want to say “mostly but not always” but I don’t really know for a fact. Secure cloud computing is an important aspect and is one that many businesses must pay attention toward.
Remember the iCloud celebrity photo leak fiasco? While that is a more nuanced issue, it something that individuals would have to watch out for as they offload more data into the ever growing cloud.
What about my Privacy in the Cloud?
It is a private to a certain degree. On the whole, unfortunately, you’ll have to give up your privacy for convenience.
How Expensive is The Cloud?
Pricing varies based on the use case and the end client. Enterprises usually take a large portion of the cloud computing costs and deliver services in a cost effective way to the end client.
The cloud is powerful because it has enabled people to try out new ideas and experiment without upfront commitment. The removal of previous barriers in this space has allowed technologies to develop faster than ever. The cloud holds promising rewards for the future to come.
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